1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an edit list creating apparatus and more particularly, is preferably applied to an editing apparatus adapted to create an edit list that defines edit contents used to join a plurality of registered image materials together to obtain desired edited videos.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional editing apparatus of this kind is adapted to create an-edit list by displaying on an edit list creating screen comprising of a graphical user interface (GUI), a time scale 100 and a-first video track 101A, an effect track 101B, and a second video track 101C that are provided along the time scale, and using mouse operations to sequentially display on the first and second video tracks 101A and 101C a first and a second frames 102A and 102B corresponding to the lengths of image materials so that the frames are continuous on the time scale 100, as shown in FIG. 1.
Such an editing apparatus is also adapted to provide settings, required to display on the effect track 101B an icon 103 corresponding to desired video special-effect processing in such a way that the first and second frames 101A and 101C are located so as to overlap each other on the time scale, thereby allowing the video special-effect processing to be executed upon switching between a first image material corresponding to the first frame 102A and a second image material corresponding to the second frame 102B.
In general, video special-effects can be classified into a transition type (for example, wipe) that switches a first video MV1 to a second video MV2, as shown in FIG. 2A and an animation type (for example, picture-in-picture) that temporarily displays the second video MV2 on the first video MV1, as shown in FIG. 2B.
The transition-type and animation-type video special-effects have different combinations of available videos; for example, the animation-type video special-effect requires that the second video MV2 lasts a shorter time than the first video MV1.
The above conventional editing apparatus, however, does not indicate whether the video special-effect corresponding to each icon 103 is of the transition or animation type, but depends only on the operator""s knowledge.
Thus, such an editing apparatus has no other means but an error indication that may be provided when the operator displays the icon 103 on the effect track 101B, for determining whether the video special-effect corresponding to that icon 103 is available. In addition, if, for example, an error is indicated, the desired video special-effect must be selected again.
Furthermore, in order to improve the operator usability, the above editing apparatus may be constructed to hold parameter values or various function modes set beforehand for the video special-effect, until the settings are changed.
Such an editing apparatus, however, does not allow the settings for these function modes to be determined by viewing the icon 103 displayed on the effect track 101B. If the operator fails to be conscious that these function modes may have been set on, edited videos may deviate from what has been expected, thereby causing the operator to misunderstand that the apparatus is defective. In particular, key processing that superimposes two videos on each other is liable to cause misunderstanding depending on the settings.
Accordingly, if the editing apparatus enables easy determination of whether the video special-effect to be used is of the transition or animation type and of whether a particular function mode has been set on for the video special-effect processing, the work efficiency in creating an edit list can be improved.
In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide an edit list creating apparatus that can substantially improve the work efficiency in creating an edit list.
The foregoing object and other objects of the invention have been achieved by the provision of an edit list creating apparatus that can create an edit list and that is functional during the creation of the edit list for setting the list in such a way that desired video special-effect processing is executed by displaying a mark corresponding to the video special-effect processing at a desired position of a predetermined site of the edit list, comprising a display control means for having a display means display the mark with a predetermined display color that differs for each type of the video special-effect processing.
As a result, this edit list creating apparatus enables the type of video special-effect processing to be easily and instantaneously determined based on the color of the corresponding mark.
This invention also provides an edit list creating apparatus that can create an edit list and that is functional during the creation of the edit list for setting the list in such a way that desired video special-effect processing is executed by displaying a mark corresponding to the video special-effect processing at a desired position of a predetermined site of the edit list, comprising a display control means for having a display means display the mark corresponding to the video special-effect processing for which a predetermined function mode is set on, with a predetermined alarm color different from normal display colors.
As a result, this editing apparatus enables easy and instantaneous determination of whether the predetermined function mode has been set for the video special-effect processing, based on-the color of the corresponding displayed mark.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals or characters.